Massage Therapy for Hospice Patients

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Hospice patients desire to be released from pain and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to provide a relaxing, gentle touch massage. Massage is a human interaction which differs in it's effect depending on each person and their need for human touch and comfort. Touch is powerful and can we can trace this back to our first sensations at birth. Touch is something people long for as we transition from this life to the next. Touch has been known to create a rise in blood pressure in non-verbal Alzheimer's Patients who may awaken from that state momentarily to announce "Oh, that feels wonderful" then slip back into their non-verbal state once again. In fact, patients sometimes reduce their demand for drugs when massage is an integral part of the treatment protocol. Geriatric massage techniques are directed toward the amelioration of pain, rather than the vigorous approaches of deep tissue work or acupressure. No matter how you look at it, an experienced Massage Therapist can bring the one thing the Hospice Patient desires, comfort.